


just set them up

by theafterimages



Series: frat au [20]
Category: GOT7
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fraternity, Bonding, Dancing, Feelings, M/M, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-11
Updated: 2016-09-11
Packaged: 2018-08-14 10:02:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,086
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8009233
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theafterimages/pseuds/theafterimages
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This isn’t the evening Jinyoung was expecting. (Frat AU)</p>
            </blockquote>





	just set them up

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to R for betaing! And thank you to all of you for your patience. I've had a hectic few months, but it's definitely time to get back to this series. The next installment is all ready to go, too, and it's another JJ Project. (And one of my favorites that I've ever written for this AU.) In the meantime, I hope you'll enjoy this one! 
> 
> This is set during March 2013. Frat AU master lists: [Organized by storyline](http://eveninadream.livejournal.com/17207.html) and [organized by chronology](http://eveninadream.livejournal.com/9888.html).

This isn’t the evening Jinyoung was expecting.

His plan was to watch Cartwright dance groups’ showcase by himself, observe each group carefully, and then talk to some of their leaders afterwards about joining next year. 

But almost as soon as Jinyoung gets there he spots a crowd of Kappa Taus and Zeta Beta Zetas sitting together. His gaze goes right to Jaebum, and he bristles. Jinyoung knows it shouldn’t bother him at all: it’s not like he had told Jaebum where he’d be tonight, or like he’d expected Jaebum to be interested in the showcase. God knows it’s not like he wants to spend all his free time with Jaebum just because he wants to eventually hook up with him. They get along well and hang out a fair bit, going to cafes to study together or to bookstores to browse for books, but those things only happen when they’re both in the mood. It’s not something Jinyoung depends on doing regularly. But Jaebum not mentioning his plans for tonight to Jinyoung, or inviting him along, bothers him anyway.

The group spots Jinyoung, too. “Jinyoung!” Jackson bellows, almost dislodging Youngji from his lap as he enthusiastically waves Jinyoung over. 

Jinyoung slips through the crowd, trading greetings with everyone (and getting his ass patted by Baekhyun), until he takes the empty seat next to Jackson. He already knows where Mark is—back in the dorm, talking to his family on Skype, which is why he had said no when Jinyoung had asked him along—which leaves only one of Jackson’s usual companions to ask about. “Where’s Tao? Isn’t he going to watch Wonshik?”

“Mark’s Skyping and Tao’s visiting his mom for her birthday,” Jackson explains. “So it’s just me.”

Youngji hits his shoulder. “What am I, chopped liver?”

“Me and Youngji!” Jackson hastily amends, but Youngji huffs and turns away, leaving Jackson to try to rapid-fire apologize his way back into her good graces.

Jinyoung leaves them to their squabbling and smiles at Hyelin, who’s sitting on his other side. Jaebum is next to her, and Jinyoung spares a casual smile for him, too, like his heart’s not beating faster from a mixture of irritation and just having Jaebum this close, this unexpectedly. 

Hyelin giggles, regaining his attention. She waits until Jaebum returns to his conversation with Jaehwan, then winks at Jinyoung and makes a quick gesture to their seats, obviously suggesting that they change places. Jinyoung thinks about spending the entire time pressing strategically close to Jaebum, pretending like he doesn’t notice what he’s doing, but in the end he smiles back at Hyelin and shakes his head. If there’s one thing this game with Jaebum has taught him, it’s the value of building anticipation.

 

 

 

 

It’s all too easy to let everyone drag him back to the Kappa Tau house for a few hours after the show. Jinyoung spares a wistful thought for his battered copy of _The Bell Jar_ , dog-eared and waiting on his end table, but otherwise he doesn’t mind. He likes spending time at Kappa Tau. And besides, Hakyeon is the leader of one of the dance groups, so Jinyoung can still accomplish his original mission. 

He’s quick to join Hakyeon and the set of people around him shortly after returning to Kappa Tau. He smiles at everyone, focusing mainly on Hakyeon by the end. “You guys were great.”

“Thanks,” Wonshik says. “Hakyeon choreographed Toxic.”

“Is there anything you’re not in charge of?” Jinyoung asks with a laugh.

“Nope,” Hakyeon says cheerfully.

“Because he takes over everything,” Wonshik teases, then laughs and sets off running as Hakyeon stalks after him, narrow-eyed. 

Unsurprised by the abrupt end of the conversation, Jinyoung laughs and moves on, too. 

Sometimes he thinks about how he is as familiar with Kappa Tau and its dynamics as he is with Omega Chi—more, even. There were Omega Chis performing tonight, too, but Jinyoung isn’t close to any of them, or to many people in his house. Truth be told, he sometimes thinks that he’s bonded more with Kappa Taus—he has to try so hard in Omega Chi that he can’t relax enough to form many real relationships there yet, whereas all he has to do to make a good impression at Kappa Tau is show up in suitably tight pants. 

Though he does have to put in more effort when it comes to one particular Kappa Tau…

For the millionth time that night, his gaze drifts to Jaebum. Right now he’s across the room, talking to Jaehwan and Heeyeon. As he watches, Jaebum says something that makes them both laugh, Heeyeon grasping his arm momentarily as if for support. Her laugh is unrestrained, her eyes bright—she’s cute. 

Jinyoung’s eyes narrow, but he relaxes when neither she nor Jaebum do more than smile at each other briefly before focusing on Jaehwan as he says something. Nothing in their body language suggests that Jinyoung has anything to worry about from that quarter. And unlike last semester, when Hyejeong and Jaebum were all over each other by the end of most parties, Hyejeong is nowhere to be seen—probably off with her new boyfriend, Jinyoung thinks with satisfaction. As far as he knows, there aren’t any other Zeta Beta Zeta members who might distract Jaebum. 

(“They know not to steal your man,” Mark had teased him once, but Jinyoung had dismissed that. Jaebum is a lot of things, but he certainly isn’t Jinyoung’s.)

“You could always just jump him,” Baekhyun suggests—right in his ear, almost, making Jinyoung startle. Just how absorbed in staring at Jaebum had he been?

“I’ll pass,” he says dryly. He turns away from Jaebum to focus on Baekhyun and the boy with him. Jinyoung doesn’t recognize him, but he’d seen Baekhyun cuddled up to him during the show, getting increasingly handsy every time Jinyoung had made the mistake of glancing their way. 

“This is Sehun,” Baekhyun tells him. Sehun offers him a shy smile. “He’s visiting Jongin this weekend.”

“Jongin,” Jinyoung repeats, raising his eyebrows and looking around to drive home the point that Jongin is nowhere in sight.

“I’m just helping to take care of Sehun while he’s here,” Baekhyun says sweetly, and Sehun laughs, turning red. “Like showing him around, things like that.”

“Showing him the way to your bedroom?” Jinyoung teases.

Baekhyun’s eyes widen, as if he’s struck by the idea. “Sehun, want me to show you my room again?” he offers. Sehun laughs again but lets Baekhyun pull him toward the stairs.

Jinyoung is so tempted to look at Jaebum again. Anticipation, he reminds himself before he can give in, and heads toward the next person who catches his eye—Jackson, as it happens, who’s comparing either dancing or stripping techniques with Yixing across the room. The pelvic thrusting makes it hard for Jinyoung to guess for sure.

“We already know you can do that,” Youngji is telling Jackson as Jinyoung approaches, “you don’t need to _keep_ doing it-”

“You want me to keep doing it?” Jackson teases and matches action to words. Youngji’s attempt at protesting is even less convincing than usual. He idly wonders if he should’ve made Mark come tonight, after all. He generally doesn’t think Youngji and Jackson could be anything serious, but there are times he wonders.

Not that he can blame her—Jinyoung watches Jackson’s hips for a few seconds, too, thinking back to that party when he and Jackson hooked up. He really should have taken a ride when he had the chance, he reflects. Oh, well, he’ll just make Mark give him all the details whenever Mark and Jackson get past the denial phase. Or maybe he’ll get Zitao drunk and ask him.

Jackson catches Jinyoung’s eye and winks, like he knows what he’s thinking. Jinyoung deliberately lets his tongue trail over his lower lip, though he can’t keep a straight face for long when it makes Jackson laugh aloud.

There’s something else Jinyoung remembers happening that night, too, and he’s counting on it to come through for him now. Sure enough, Jaebum is at his side seconds later. “What are they doing?” he asks Jinyoung.

“No idea, but it’s hot,” Jinyoung says with a grin. He wonders if Jaebum realizes how telling it is that he rested his hand against Jinyoung’s lower back so quickly, like the possessive gesture was second nature. It’s enough for Jinyoung to forgive him for not inviting him to the showcase, at least for now. “Look at Jackson.”

Jaebum’s eyes narrow, and Jinyoung’s grin widens. He loves how easy it can be to get to Jaebum. “He’s not that great.”

“Hey!” Jackson says indignantly, because even though Jaebum and Jinyoung should have been speaking too low for him to distinguish their words, Jackson’s hearing is nothing if not supersonic at times like these. 

“Can you do body rolls, JB?” Yixing asks sunnily.

“Yeah, can you?” Jinyoung can’t resist chiming in. He likes Yixing, he decides. He can add him to his list of true friends in Omega Chi, too.

Jackson swaggers up to Jaebum. “Let’s see what you can do,” he says, his dramatic delivery like something straight out of any dance related movie.

Not missing a beat, Jaebum gets right in his face, the two of them sizing each other up as others finally notice and start to gather, catcalling and commentating, before Jackson laughs and backs down.

“Now take your shirts off!” Jaehwan cheers, hands cupped over his mouth to project the suggestion.

Jaebum laughs, clearly ready to dismiss it as a typical Kappa Tau remark, but of course Jackson strips off his black shirt, grinning at the ensuing bedlam and swinging it above his head before tossing it into the crowd. He beckons to Jaebum, who shakes his head in bemusement but strips off his own shirt in one fluid motion, not so much as stepping back.

Jinyoung takes the shirt from him. He hopes Jaebum doesn’t notice how much of an effort it is for Jinyoung to keep his eyes fixed on his face. “So can you do body rolls?” he’s barely able to ask.

“You’ll find out,” Jaebum teases.

Jackson goes first in their unofficial call and response, visibly basking in the cat calls and cheers generated as his hips move downright pornographically. Jinyoung can’t resist filming it on his phone. Mark _needs_ to see this. 

After one last powerful thrust Jackson gestures to Jaebum, beaming. “Your turn, come on!”

Jaebum pauses, tilting his head. “The music’s no good.”

“What are you talking about, it’s fine!”

“I need something else,” Jaebum insists.

“I’ll beatbox,” Chanyeol offers.

“No, I’ll do it!” Jackson cuts in, and immediately sets to work.

Jaebum listens for a few seconds, then seems to catch Jackson’s rhythm—although instead of pumping his hips he drops to the ground, boosting his weight on his hands as his feet work furiously. Jackson doesn’t miss a beat, not even when Jaebum curls his legs back, balances on one hand and still manages to propel his body in a circle. He finishes up by thrusting his legs back upward and spinning on his hands, then rises smoothly to his feet as everyone yells and piles on remarks all at once. 

Everyone but Jinyoung, who’s left staring. He hadn’t known Jaebum could b-boy. Should he have known? He can’t think, not after that. Jaebum’s energy, his athleticism and grace, the competitive light in his eyes, even the quick, bright flash of his smile; it’s not hard for Jinyoung to wonder what it would all be like in another context entirely.

Jackson somehow manages to be louder than everyone else. “That’s cheating! How can I compete against something that cool?” he demands, although he throws himself at Jaebum for a quick hug. 

“Well, it wasn’t a body roll,” Amber points out, nudging Jinyoung as she laughs. Jinyoung full-body startles at the contact, abruptly drawn back into the moment, into properly acknowledging people other than Jaebum.

“That’s right!” Jackson says triumphantly. “Then I’m better!”

Jaebum laughs, throwing his head back from the force of it, and Jinyoung _aches_. God, can’t Jaebum stop being impossibly hot for just one minute? “You wanted to see what I could do,” Jaebum reminds Jackson, but he does roll his hips once, sharp and precise. Jinyoung swallows hard at the sight. 

Youngji whispers something to Jackson, who grins at Jaebum. “I still think you’re better at aegyo than dancing.”

“ _No_ ,” Jaebum insists immediately, but Kappa Taus can always smell blood in the water and most of them swarm.

“When did he do aegyo?” Jinyoung demands of Jackson, but he's laughing too hard to answer.

“He got so drunk at the 90s mixer,” Youngji explains for him. 

Jackson, panting from laughing so hard, finally adds, “We got him on video—cute version of this H.O.T song.”

Jinyoung grins. “I need to see this.”

“Everyone should,” Jackson agrees, and Youngji nods in agreement.

Who would have thought, Jinyoung muses, leaning his head on Jackson’s shoulder as they continue watching Jaebum get harassed by his fraternity brothers. B-boying, aegyo—how many sides of Jaebum are still left for Jinyoung to discover?

 

 

 

 

Since they both have classes the next morning, Jinyoung and Jaebum end up walking back to their dorm before midnight _and_ sober. Jaebum’s still in a good mood from the dancing earlier; he’s more talkative than usual, his smile downright radiant. 

Jinyoung keeps his hands shoved in his coat pockets and a careful space between them. No matter how badly he wants to, he tells himself, he’s not going to reach out and touch.

Except Jaebum keeps touching him instead, briefly hooking his arm around Jinyoung’s shoulders or nudging his side. Jinyoung’s acting must be even better than he thought, because Jaebum doesn’t seem to notice what it’s doing to him at all; how every contact is a small shock to the system, calling up fresh fantasies about Jaebum against him and over him and around him, hot and close and wanting this as badly as Jinyoung does.

For once he can’t even figure out the right way to flip the tables. This is as bad as when Jaebum wears glasses and reads his favorite passages from whatever book he’s reading aloud to Jinyoung. 

Jinyoung despairingly damns his competency kink.

“I didn’t know you could b-boy,” Jinyoung says at last.

“Yeah, I started in middle school.” Jaebum stretches, uttering a satisfied sigh that puts all sorts of new thoughts in Jinyoung’s mind. “I haven’t done it in a while, though. I’m a little rusty.”

“You were great,” Jinyoung tells him. 

Jaebum angles a pleased smile at him. “Thanks.”

“Have you ever done anything else, with dance? Like taken classes or been on a team or anything?”

“No. That wasn’t the point back then—I just had to do something or I was going to explode.” Jinyoung wants to see Jaebum _explode_ now—he mentally slaps himself just as Jaebum asks him, “What about you?”

Jinyoung nods smoothly. Everything’s normal with him, of course, he’s not distracted at all. Maybe if he tells himself that often enough, he can will it to be true. “I took dance lessons for a long time. Until I started college.” It’s why he went to the showcase tonight, why he wants to join a group next year. He still practices on his own when he has time, but he hasn’t danced with anyone else since his Christmas break visits to the dance studio he’d all but grown up in back home. He misses it.

Like he’s reading Jinyoung’s mind somehow, that’s when Jaebum says, “I’ve been thinking about joining a dance group here next year, when pledging’s over and I have more time.” 

“Me too,” Jinyoung says in surprise. 

“Yeah?” Jaebum sounds pleased. Jinyoung’s not sure how to feel about how that makes him feel so warm, makes him want more of Jaebum’s approval. “We should do it together.”

“Yeah.” Jinyoung can’t help smiling. “That’d be fun.”

“We can figure it out after spring break.”

Just two more weeks of schoolwork and pledge duties and then it will be time for their first college spring break; days at their respective fraternities’ beach houses, sunshine and relaxation and the chance to see Jaebum shirtless on the beach…

Unless, Jinyoung thinks abruptly, Jaebum wants to spend the time with someone else instead. Well, there’s only one way to find out. “I heard about Hyejeong,” he says, keeping his voice light and teasing. “What are you going to do at parties now?”

“Is that an offer?” Jaebum returns in kind.

Jinyoung tsks. “I’m trying to be nice. Not everything has an ulterior motive.”

“It’s hard to trust that coming from you.”

Jinyoung gasps exaggeratedly, clasping his hand over his heart. “I just wanted to know how you’re doing, since she’s the only person here you’ve ever really hooked up with-” 

“Not the only one.”

Is Jaebum going to spend the whole night yanking the rug out from under him? Jinyoung wonders, staring at Jaebum in utter astonishment. He was so sure that he knew all the factors at play in this game. And now he has competition that he didn’t even know about? “What? Who else? Someone else in ZBZ?”

Jaebum just smiles smugly until Jinyoung nudges him, then laughs and relents. “He’s a grad student.”

“‘He’?” Jinyoung echoes. He’s taken aback, but the idea clicks into place fast. Jinyoung’s seen how Jaebum can get around upperclassmen, surprisingly soft and eager to please. He can picture him with some mysterious, probably gorgeous and well-built grad student—

“Jealous?” Jaebum taunts.

“ _No_ ,” Jinyoung lies firmly.

“Are you going to do something about it?”

Maybe Jinyoung _should_ —but not like this, he decides abruptly. He’d never get the upper hand back if he gives in now. Not to mention how Jaebum would never let him live it down. “Did you seduce him with your aegyo?” Jinyoung teases instead, and Jaebum immediately wraps his arm around Jinyoung’s shoulders so he can cover Jinyoung’s mouth with his hand.

Even after he’s given up muzzling him, Jaebum keeps his arm around Jinyoung, solid and warm. Jinyoung has to lean down a little to compensate for their slight height difference, but he doesn’t mind. He’d do more than that for Jaebum’s touch.

While he is winning this game, thank you very much, sometimes Jinyoung thinks his feelings for Jaebum are getting out of hand. And then there are nights like tonight, when he knows they are.


End file.
